Moorefield Volleyball celebrated the birthday of Payton Lytle with tacos before the match against Keyser.
The taco-fueled passion in the match as Moorefield crunched spikes and serves to oust the Golden Tornado in straight sets: 25-16, 25-20 and 25-23.
“Payton is a great kid. We had Taco Tuesday tacos for her birthday. She played really well and I am glad we had the opportunity to get the win for her. Last time we played Keyser there, it is always a tough place to play with a big gym and you have to shag your own balls. We made a lot of mistakes up there in our first match playing together. We played better together tonight, but still had too many mistakes and I am not letting them get away with it. I am holding them accountable. We played well, but I think we can be better. I trust Aryana’s hands back there on the service line. I called it, ace right here and it happened. The girls rallied the troops, got the student section to come out big for us. It was huge having them here, because the girls feed off that energy,” Moorefield Volleyball coach Kellan Snyder commented.
Keyser opened the first set with a 4-0 lead on a block by Sophie Lambka and three aces served by Bella Haines.
It was a spicy start, but the Yellow Jackets were ready to create the toppings for success.
Moorefield’s Brenna See, Lexi Vanmeter and Lytle found momentum swinging over the net.
Annie Barr served up an ace for the Yellow Jackets.
Moorefield’s Aubrey Kidwell and Emmy Crites made digs to keep the floor clear.
Moorefield’s Jocelyn Wagner slammed a spike, then Lytle delivered three aces as the team buzzed with excitement.
Vanmeter made a dink over the net and the Golden Tornado’s dig found the net.
See served an ace for a 16-11 advantage.
Keyser answered with a kill and aces by Mya Burgess.
Vanmeter garnered several kills down the stretch and Anniston Kite finished the set with a deflected point, 25-16.
Keyser built a 9-3 lead in the second set, but the Yellow Jackets refused to stay grounded.
Kidwell served a few aces and the Yellow Jackets forced errors to tie the set.
The second set would be tied about six more times, despite some great digs by Aryana Hinz.
Moorefield’s Bella Linville, Lytle and Vanmeter kept the spikes coming.
Moorefield closed out the set as Brenna See notched a kill and Aryana Hinz delivered back-to-back aces, 25-20.
The Yellow Jackets developed an 8-0 edge in the third set with several aces by See and three kills by Barr.
The Golden Tornado battled back to cut the deficit to 10-9.
Keyser’s Libby Delsignore served two aces and a block by Lambka tied the set at 14-all.
Aleah Smith made a block for Keyser’s lead.
The Yellow Jackets responded as Wagner pushed a point through a block.
It was back and forth for a bit, then Moorefield’s Anniston Kite notched a couple kills along with Barr to secure a 20-18 edge.
Keyser and Moorefield fought with several ties down the stretch with the last one at 23-all.
Hinz iced the match with two aces as the Yellow Jackets finished the match 3-0.
It was exciting to have a birthday win for Lytle along with a special Taco Tuesday celebration.
“The victory was really exciting for us, because we didn’t play well the first time against Keyser. This win really shows how much we have grown together as a team. Our communication wasn’t the greatest at first, but we built on it and it got better as we played on together. That shows how good our team was for this game. Payton was really excited, especially being new. The whole school made an announcement for her birthday. All she wanted was a win on her birthday and we were happy to give that to her,” Moorefield’s Annie Barr noted.
